Plenty of juice from this mighty sweet combo – a great quartet that once again adds the guitar of John Scofield to the mix of grooves from Medeski, Martin, & Wood! Together, all players seem to step back to a previous generation of soul jazz styles – those best 60s moments of freewheeling Hammond and guitar groovers – yet the music is also inflected with all the more creative, more contemporary touches that each player has brought to their music over the years – in ways that really keep things fresh, and which make the record far more than just another Hammond retro rework. The set features key covers of "Sham Time", "Light My Fire", and "Sunshine Of Your Love" – plus even better instrumentals that include "North London", "Juicy Lucy", "I Know You", "Helium", and "Stovetop". CD

Mindblowing funk from one of the greatest combos on the New York scene of the early 70s – Pazant Brothers Eddie & Al, heard here on a host of their greatest recordings! The package goes way past any other Pazant reissues we've seen – and features not only work from the group's famous Vanguard album, but way way more work from a host of early singles for the RCA, GWP, and Vigor labels! The 22 track package is overstuffed with horn-heavy funky grooves that mark the Pazants as one of the hottest things going at the time – snapping on the beat with a tightness learned from their old boss Pucho, but also a willingness to explore brassier grooves in a style that seems to be influenced from the New Orleans and Texas scenes of the late 60s. Producer/arranger Edward Bland had a good hand in much of this work – giving the tracks a gritty, nitty, Perception/Today kind of groove – and a few of the very best numbers on the record even bring in some wicked scratchy guitar into the mix! Includes early and later (Vanguard) versions of "Skunk Juice", "New Orleans", "Toe Jam", "Work Song", and "A Gritty Nitty" – plus "Chick A Boom", "Greasy Greens", "Fever", "Juicy Lucy", "Chicken Scratch", "Fly Vines", and "Back To Beaufort". CD

A very groovy entry in this all-great series – a set of compilations that have been giving us really wonderful funk for many years, and which just seems to get better and better with each new entry! The tracks here are a hip mix of styles – not just familiar funk and soul sources, but some funky tracks from other surprising records too – presented together in a way that makes for a nice sense of variety, even while the cuts are all still staying in the groove! Titles include "Who Is She & What Is She To You" by Madelaine, "Golden Ring" by American Gypsy, "Just One Time" by Juicy Lucy, "Condor" by Geoff Love, "Steal Away" by Photoglo, "The One You Love" by Joey Newman, "Metropolis" by Walter Hawkins, "Happiness Is Just Around The Bend" by Main Ingredient, "Seacoast" by Archie Whitewater, and "Strange Games & Things" by Love Unlimited Orchestra. CD

A document of the the loosely defined prog, psyche, and underground rock from the vaults of Vertigo Records – a moniker originally put together by Phillips to cover the obscure scene – but one that proved to be a starting point for some legendary hitmakers, too! On top of assembling the deep nuggets for which you'd pick up such a comp – cuts by Magna Carta, Colosseum, Gentle Giant and others – it also includes buried nuggets by Black Sabbath, Rod Stewart, Uriah Heep and more! 41 tracks on 3CDs: "The Kettle" by Colosseum, "Who Do You Love?" and "Thinking Of My Life" by Juicy Lucy, "Behind The Wall Of Sleep" and "Spiral Architect" by Black Sabbath, "Three Sisters" by Affinity, "Lady In Black" by Uriah Heep, "Borne On The Solar Wind" by Jade Warrior, "Mouthpiece" Warhorse, "Time Machine" by Beggars Opera, "Handbags And Gladrag" by Rod Stewart, "Song For The Bearded Lady" and "Torrid Zone" by Nucleus, "Lord Of Ages" by Magna Carta, "Paper Plane" by Status Quo and much more – plus a 48 page booklet! CD